thoughts and comments from a moody cameraman... travels, day-trips mixed with periods of sadness and happiness but always with profound discovery of the interaction between my ViSioN of my environment combined with my passion for photography. photography gives ME wings, while writing allows me to paint my visions with my thoughts. ~ ~ ~ ~ I'm a cloud chaser, sunset painter, and a landscape lover ~~

Saturday, February 28, 2009

ooooh, how embarrassing!!!

I was driving back to get my sister and her grandson who I had dropped off in the Marina earlier. I then drove downtown to a gallery to see an exhibition - afterwards I dashed back to the Marina to get my droppees (iz dat a word?) when after parking, I spotted the glorious view of the crescent moon and a bright planet not too far separated. I thought this is even better than the Jupiter, Moon and Mercury of last summer! So after having everyone in the car, I dashed home and after dropping them off, got the camera, tripod and my newly-acquired remote camera timer (never used) and went downstairs to the street below to capture the rare scene! If you've ever been to my part of North Beach ~ or any part of this City for that matter ~ it's shewn with telephone cables and wires all over the place! I thought Europe was bad at obstructing what would normally be a gorgeous view with those awful ugly useless cables and wires! Well, I discovered after returning here that SF is even much more worst! grrrrr

It's so disgusting to think that while on that sidewalk, many people walked past me, not looking at where my camera pointed, or even a bit interested in the rare performance above their heads! What a sorry state of our society where we think the iPod attachment to our "minds", the texting on the cell.... or even the stress of a workday is much more important that the heavenly and visually beautiful things we avoid/miss in a day, week or during our lives... simply because we don't take a split second to look around us or even take an interest of what's going on around us on the street and look up.

sigh......

After testing out my timer - how cool - I thought what an useless foto to just show the Moon and lovely Venus ~ why not get a picture of both with some City landmark? So I looked around... I could only see Coit Tower as a possible point of interest that I could even possibly think of finding it together with these heavenly stars right now. So jump in the car, dash yet again to the Embarcadero and drive slowly and all the way looking to the right to see whenever I even had a view of the moon and Venus. Eventually finding a spot when I could see the two players, I parked, got the tripod then set about looking for a place where I could SEE Coit Tower and the performers behind the lit tower. At one time, I was on a street - or thought I was on a public street when a car stopped not 10 feet away, and with the window glass lowering, the driver stated that I was on private property and if I could step OUT to the sidewalk.... I pointed I wasn't photographing the buildings but the moon, and he insisted still I move out to the sidewalk to which I obliged..... how stupid... and also the sentiment of several people who saw and heard the exchange of words.Getting off a few snaps but as the moon and planet were sinking lower into the skyline, I moved across the street where there was a uniformed privated security guard standing, hands in pockets. how unprofessional!! I went about setting up the tripod again to snap some shots and when I moved into an adjoining green area which again I thought was public property, this guard jumped up and stated in a clear voice that I should stay on the sidewalk! I looked at him and stated I was leaving the area and walking through the green area to the other sidewalk... and left that stupid area and its guards. How paranoid can a society get as to not even allow a photographer snap pixs of something beyond its property... what a sick society this is beginning to develop into.

On the other side, I could see that I was going to have problems... the moon and its companion were too low, there were too many trees and lamp-posts and other obstructions, so I had to get farther away... so with extended tripod and mounted camera, I cross two major and busy thoroughways to look... and after a few monutes I found a place where I could see not only Coit Tower and its two dancers, but a good portion of all three not blocked by things. Having the long 170-500 Sigma lens, I would get only a very tight closeup view of the scene before my eyes. A lot of people passing by commented on the scene we observed and I replied between snaps - I was happier that here on the Embarcadero the people were much more human and I felt better.... happier that I was again among people who took the time to observe and therefore... to live! sigh..... I just cannot wait till I am back in my spanish apartment to live permanently!

Another photographer showed up eventually, his tripod-mounted camera at the ready. At one point he set up about 30 feet away from me, and though he had nodded his head at me and waved as he passed, later whn I attempted conversing with him, he never replied and within a few minutes, he left in the dark without even a wave.... still many people here spoke to me and even stopped to snap pixs with their own cameras, as if I were their inspiration.

sigh....

Then when I uploaded these pixs to my photo website, I mislabeled the images as being the crescent Moon with Mercury when it was actually Venus! I wasn't going to change the pictures but I hate being wrong, and displaying inaccurate information, so I deleted them and uploaded corrected versions of the images that you enjoy now....

About Me

lost american photog back in his hometown. artistic photographer of 36+ yrs; experienced in glamour, family, children, portraiture, boudoir and artnudes, events and more. love capturing landscapes, windows, sunsets, trees and leaves. I am a sunset lover, landscape capturer, and a tired cloud chaser. I am passionate about capturing dreams and reality... will I put your dream(s) on virtual film?
Will be relocating to Oregon with few years-selling my spanish apartment.